Abstract
The present study was carried out to analyze chemical descriptors present in the raw coffee bean and to establish an association of these descriptors with the sensorial quality of the coffee beverage, based on expressions resulting from the interactions of coffee genotype, environment, and processing. The chemical descriptors caffeine, trigonelline, sucrose, and isomers of chlorogenic acid (3-CQA, 4-CQA, and 5-CQA), were analyzed through the use of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Trained and qualified cuppers, certified as judges of specialty coffees, carried out the sensorial analysis using the methodology proposed by the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA). Based on the cultivation environment, altitude and the genotype, it was possible to associate the chemical composition of the raw coffee bean with the coffee beverage sensorial quality. Yellow Bourbon cultivated above 1,200 m of altitude present higher contents of trigonelline and 3-CQA in the raw beans as well as high sensorial quality in the beverage. Key words: Altitude, multidimensional scaling, slope exposure, Yellow Bourbon, coffee processing.
Highlights
Classical genetics theory defines phenotype as a characteristic that describes an organism through its gene expression, the influence of its environment, and through the possible interaction between these two factors
Average scores found for trigonelline varied from 8.14 to 11.84; from 4.73 to 6.44 for 3-CQA; from 6.92 to 8.43 for 4-CQA; from 56.73 to 68.75 for 5-CQA; from 10.67 to 14.20 for caffeine, and from 53.16 to 89.51 for sucrose, and all were in accordance with scores described in the literature (Duarte et al, 2010; Knopp et al, 2006; Ky et al, 2001; Monteiro and Farah, 2012)
Regarding the chlorogenic acids investigated in the present, 3-CQA was the only isomer that presented a significant difference and its highest average content was found in coffees produced above 1,200 m (6.27 g kg-1 db)
Summary
Classical genetics theory defines phenotype as a characteristic that describes an organism through its gene expression, the influence of its environment, and through the possible interaction between these two factors. Several researchers throughout the world have investigated the phenomenon of coffee sensorial quality. These studies involve various analyses such as the effect of environmental and genetic factors and of interferences that arise from coffee processing (Avelino et al, 2005; Bertrand et al, 2012, 2006; Borém et al, 2013; Decazy et al, 2003; Figueiredo et al, 2013)
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